Alaskan Politics (statewide and nationwide) (outlets, kids, pregnancy)

[cobolt]

Aren't the dems and liberal types all about out of wedlock pregnancies and think premarital sex is just part of the norm? I mean....what could their objection possibly be? What a confused lot. Blow hards....(oh, that wasn't a sexual ref by the way).

[BudinAk]

Originally Posted by fitzy24

McCain could have picked better. If he was steering towards choosing a strong woman, there were plenty others besides her. Kay Bailey Hutchinson or Condi Rice comes to mind. Geeze.

Yes but....
there may have been "plenty of others", but would they have agreed to run with McCain? He is seen as an unpredictable maveric, not running with the pack, among Republicans...a true non-conformist. He certainly wasn't my pick, but I got "over-ruled". Who knows, maybe the other female "VP-contenders" didn't want to associate with all that.
The Palin card is what we've been dealt, so let's play it and see what happens.

Hmmm...let's see now...about voting for the lesser of two evils...


Bud

[njkate]

Originally Posted by HighlandLady

"You must spread around rep points..." etc, etc. Kudos anyway.

Don't come to Alaska forums very much..so I was able to do those reps

[blue_eyedgirl]

Once, a little over 3 weeks ago. She was here in town and the hubby and I saw her at a local restaurant. Actually we didn't even notice her until a group of military members went over to her table. She and her husband were very nice people. Very friendly and down to earth. Seemed very normal. Didn't have a huge entourage with her. Appeared to be like every other regular couple in the restaurant having dinner on a Friday night.

[KatinNJ]

As I was reading through some of the posting (stopped at page nine), I thought of my brother. My brother voted for the last President because he felt America needed a “Strong Leader”. He didn’t give any thought to where we were being lead, just that a “Strong Leader” was needed. In the end, he didn't like where he was led.

Our votes should be based on real issues not he’s black/White, male/female, he didn’t show any respect to Hilary. When the majority vote,s it affects all of us. Does our vote really matter, since the electoral vote determines the President anyway.

The candidate should serve the best interest of the country and all of its citizens based on their views on real issues.

Listed below are the summary found in the Essence Magazine. Whether it will happen or not, who knows, but these are just some of the issues that will influence my vote. All other comments are just opinions that could be debated.

EDUCATION:

What Obama Proposes: He has criticized President Bush's No Child Left Behind Act, which requires public school students to pass standardized tests for the schools to get additional federal dollars; he will reform the law by funding it and tracking school progress. Obama will combat high school dropout rates by implementing mentoring and extracurricular programs. He wants to create a tax credit that will make the first $4,000 of college free—covering two thirds of the average public college tuition—and intends to make community college free.

What McCain Proposes: He will uphold No Child Left Behind. He says he will enlarge a program offering school vouchers to families with an average household income of $23,000, allowing those parents to pay for their children's education at a school of their choice. McCain will make college more affordable by increasing federal funding of need-based grants and low-interest loans. He supports the expansion of online education and will invest $500 million into virtual schools.

HEALTH CARE:

What Obama Proposes: He wants a national health plan to help citizens buy affordable health insurance. He'll allow people to choose between the national plan and private ones, and will raise the age limit for children's coverage on their parents' plans to 25. In Congress, Obama cosponsored the Microbicide Development Act, which will speed up the development of products—such as gels and creams—that can reduce the risk of HIV.

What McCain Proposes:To offset the costs of health insurance, he will provide a $2,500 refundable tax credit for individuals and a $5,000 credit for families. He says families should be able to select their own insurance providers; he'll establish a plan that allows nonprofits to cover employees through contracts with insurers. McCain wants to increase the number of walk-in clinics nationwide.

STIMULATING THE ECONOMY:

What Obama Proposes: He will inject $75 billion into the economy by cutting taxes for the middle class and providing workers with a tax credit. For those making more than $250,000 a year, he will implement a higher payroll tax. Obama says he will raise the minimum wage and give $50 million to employment programs for groups facing employment difficulties, such as homeless veterans, children aging out of foster care and ex-prisoners.

What McCain Proposes: He wants to drop the corporate tax from 35 percent to 25 percent. While McCain is opposed to federal control of the minimum wage, he will double the personal exemption from $3,500 to $7,000 for every dependent. McCain is in favor of decreased spending, only splurging for such needs as job training and national security.

WAR IN IRAQ:

What Obama Proposes: He will implement a phased withdrawal of one to two brigades per month to get our troops out of Iraq within 16 months. Obama will keep some troops in Iraq to protect our embassy and diplomats, but he is against having a permanent presence there.

What McCain Proposes: He hopes to release troops from Iraq by 2013. He says Iraq's government needs international support to bolster its economy and deliver services such as clean water. McCain disagrees with a withdrawal before Al-Qaeda is defeated, arguing that our troops must stay to prevent another terrorist attack.

[Macharuadan]

I find it appalling that so many people make such a big deal of Palins daughters pregnacy.So what if she's preg.,who cares!All anyone w/any sense should care about is Palins experience&ability 2 B VP.Obamas exper.doesn't come close&he's running for Pres.!Wake up people!,if anyone has negitive,personal issues,it's Obama,he's a muslim 4Gods sake,do U people really trust him?I believe we'de B better off w/Mcain&Palin,they can do this job,&do it right,&I think we will B safer in the longrun.Thinkaboutit!

[SuValley]

I met her when she was serving as Mayor of Wasilla during some meetings. Make no mistake about it, she is not just a pretty face in a skirt. She handled some pretty large ego's with agendas with ease. She is truly committed to the Constitution of the State of Alaska, and all of its residents. She remains focused on the task at hand, and her intentions are honorable-she does know how to work. And you can't say that about many in the Beltway.

Yes, there are things she's done that I think are mistakes, but by and large, she's a very intelligent woman and will have some of the best guidance in the world at her elbow through any future term-that works for me.

[Glitch]

I don't know the Palin's personally. I knew about and met Todd before I met Sarah. I've been rooting for Todd in the Iron Dog race for years, only because he was from Wasilla. I met Sarah with Todd before she ran for Governor. I have not seen much of either of them since.

They both seemed like decent friendly people to me, but as I said, I don't know them personally.

[Moose Whisperer]

All of this extraneous talk about babies and maternity coverups will likely only serve to make her Wednesday appearance at the RNC one of the most anticipated and watched VP acceptance speeches in history. Perhaps even eclipsing "The Speech" given by "The Chosen One" last week!

[Alaskagrl]

Man, I wish I was a longer-term resident of AK and had been up north. I think it would be cool as heck to meet this gutsy woman and her family. They look like a lot of Alaskan families to me, and that would be darn refreshing to have in the White House!

I think it was a pretty brilliant political move to choose her; who epitomizes the average, hard-working family American more than this fishing, hunting mom? Awesome. And it's no secret why more than 80% of Alaskans approve of her--almost unheard-of stats--she has taken on major issues and won virtually every time in our state.

Oh well. I'll rest on the politics on this thread. At least, as has been said here, it ain't gonna be boring!